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Genesis 43-49
New American Standard Bible
Genesis 43-49
New American Standard Bible
The Return to Egypt
43 (A)Now the famine was severe in the land. 2 So it came about, when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.” 3 Judah spoke to him, however, saying, “(B)The man sternly warned [a]us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5 But if you do not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’” 6 Then Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly, [b]by telling the man whether you still had another brother?” 7 But they said, “The man specifically asked about us and our relatives, saying, ‘(C)Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ So we [c]answered his questions. Could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” 8 So Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me and we will arise and go, (D)so that we may live and not die, we as well as you and our little ones. 9 (E)I myself will take responsibility for him! You may demand him back from [d]me. If I do not bring him back to you and present him to you, then [e]you can let me take the blame forever. 10 For if we had not delayed, surely by now we could have returned twice.”
11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your [f]bags, and carry down to the man (F)as a gift, a little (G)balsam and a little honey, labdanum resin and [g]myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 And take double the money in your hand, and take back in your hand (H)the money that was returned in the opening of your sacks; perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also, and arise, return to the man; 14 and may [h](I)God Almighty (J)grant you compassion in the sight of the man, so that he will release to you (K)your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, (L)if I am bereaved of my sons, I am bereaved!” 15 So the men took (M)this gift, and they took double the money in their hand, and Benjamin; then they set out and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
Joseph Sees Benjamin
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his (N)house steward, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make preparations; for the men are to dine with me at noon.” 17 So the man did as Joseph said, and [i]brought the men to Joseph’s house. 18 Now the men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are being brought in, so that he may [j]attack us and [k]overpower us, and take us as slaves with our donkeys.” 19 So they approached Joseph’s house steward, and spoke to him at the entrance of the house, 20 and said, “Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food, 21 and it happened when we came to the campsite, that we opened our sacks, and behold, (O)each man’s money was in the opening of his sack, our money in [l]full. So (P)we have brought it back in our hand. 22 We have also brought down other money in our hand to buy food; we do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 23 But he said, “Peace be to you, do not be afraid. (Q)Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; your [m]money was in my possession.” Then (R)he brought Simeon out to them. 24 Then the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and (S)gave them water, and they (T)washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. 25 So they prepared (U)the gift [n]for Joseph’s arrival at noon; for they had heard that they were to eat [o]a meal there.
26 When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the gift which was in their hand, and they (V)bowed down to the ground before him. 27 Then he asked them about their welfare, and said, “(W)Is your old father well, of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” 28 And they said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” Then (X)they bowed down again [p]in homage. 29 And as he raised his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, he said, “Is this (Y)your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?” Then he said, “(Z)May God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Joseph then hurried out, for [q](AA)he was deeply stirred over his brother, and he looked for a place to weep; so he entered his chamber and (AB)wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out; and he (AC)controlled himself and said, “[r]Serve the meal.” 32 Then they served him by himself, and [s]Joseph’s brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an (AD)abomination to the Egyptians. 33 Now they [t]were seated before him, from (AE)the firstborn according to his birthright to the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at one another in astonishment. 34 Then he took portions to them from [u]his own table, (AF)but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank freely with him.
The Brothers Are Brought Back
44 (AG)Then he commanded his house steward, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the opening of his sack. 2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the opening of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain.” And he did [v]as Joseph had told him. 3 [w]As soon as it was light, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys. 4 They had just left (AH)the city, and were not far away, when Joseph said to his house steward, “Up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? 5 Is this not that from which my lord drinks, and which he indeed uses for (AI)divination? You have done wrong in doing this!’”
6 So [x]he overtook them and spoke these words to them. 7 And they said to him, “Why does my lord say such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! 8 Behold, (AJ)the money which we found in the opening of our sacks we have brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? 9 (AK)With whomever of your servants it is found, he shall die, and we also shall be my lord’s (AL)slaves.” 10 So he said, “Now let it indeed be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, but the rest of you shall be considered innocent.” 11 Then they hurried, each man lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12 And he searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and (AM)the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 Then they (AN)tore their clothes in grief, and when each man had loaded his donkey, they returned to (AO)the city.
14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there, and (AP)they fell down to the ground before him. 15 Joseph said to them, “What is this thing that you have done? Do you not know that a man who is like me can indeed practice (AQ)divination?” 16 So Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What words can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s (AR)slaves, both we and the one in whose [y]possession the cup has been found.” 17 But he said, “Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose [z]possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.”
18 Then Judah approached him and said, “Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord’s ears, and [aa](AS)do not be angry with your servant; for (AT)you are equal to Pharaoh. 19 (AU)My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ 20 And we said to my lord, ‘We have an old father and (AV)a little boy born in our father’s old age. Now (AW)his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’ 21 Then you said to your servants, ‘(AX)Bring him down to me so that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22 But we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, [ab]his father would die.’ 23 You said to your servants, however, ‘(AY)Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 24 So it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And (AZ)our father said, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’ 26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27 Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that (BA)my wife bore me two sons; 28 and the one left me, and (BB)I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces,” and I have not seen him since. 29 If you also take this one from [ac]me, and harm happens to him, you will (BC)bring my gray hair down to Sheol in [ad]sorrow.’ 30 So now, when I come to your servant, my father, and the boy is not with us—since [ae](BD)our father’s life is so attached to the boy’s life— 31 when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. So your servants will (BE)bring the gray hair of your servant, our father, down to Sheol in sorrow. 32 For your servant (BF)accepted responsibility for the boy from my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then [af]my father can let me take the blame forever.’ 33 So now, please let your servant remain as a slave to my lord instead of the boy, and let the boy go up with his brothers. 34 For how shall I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear that I may see the evil that would [ag]overtake my father.”
Joseph Deals Kindly with His Brothers
45 Then Joseph could not control himself in front of everyone standing before him, and he shouted, “Have everyone leave me!” So there [ah]was no one with him (BG)when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 Then (BH)he [ai]wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard about it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “(BI)I am Joseph! (BJ)Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for (BK)they were terrified in his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come [aj]closer to me.” And they came [ak]closer. And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you (BL)sold to Egypt. 5 Now do not be grieved or angry [al]with yourselves because (BM)you sold me here, for (BN)God sent me ahead of you [am]to save lives. 6 For the famine has been in the land (BO)these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 So (BP)God sent me ahead of you to ensure for you a remnant on the earth, and to [an]keep you alive by a great deliverance. 8 Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a (BQ)father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father, and (BR)say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10 For you shall live in the land of (BS)Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your [ao]grandchildren, and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. 11 There I will also (BT)provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished.”’ 12 Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. 13 Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and (BU)bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and (BV)wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.
16 Now when (BW)the [ap]news was heard in Pharaoh’s house [aq]that Joseph’s brothers had come, it [ar]pleased Pharaoh and his servants. 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your livestock and [as]go to the land of Canaan, 18 and take your father and your households and come to me; and (BX)I will give you the [at]best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.’ 19 Now you are ordered, ‘Do this: [au]take (BY)wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come. 20 And do not [av]concern yourselves with your property, for the [aw]best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them (BZ)wagons according to the [ax]command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To [ay]each of them he gave (CA)changes of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and (CB)five changes of garments. 23 And to his father he sent [az]the following: ten male donkeys loaded with the [ba]best things of Egypt, ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and sustenance for his father [bb]on the journey.
24 So he sent his brothers away, and [bc]as they departed, he said to them, “Do not [bd]quarrel on the journey.” 25 Then they went up from Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan, to their father Jacob. 26 And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” But [be]he was stunned, for (CC)he did not believe them. 27 When they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and when he saw the (CD)wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, then the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 Then Israel said, “It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
Jacob Moves to Egypt
46 So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to (CE)Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the (CF)God of his father Isaac. 2 And (CG)God spoke to Israel [bf]in visions of the night and said, “(CH)Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3 Then He said, “(CI)I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will (CJ)make you into a great nation there. 4 (CK)I will go down with you to Egypt, and (CL)I will also assuredly bring you up again; and (CM)Joseph will [bg]close your eyes.”
5 Then Jacob left Beersheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob and their little ones and their wives in the (CN)wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 They also took their livestock and their possessions, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and (CO)came to Egypt, Jacob and all his [bh]descendants with him: 7 his sons and his grandsons with him, his daughters and his granddaughters, and all his [bi]descendants he brought with him to Egypt.
Those Who Came to Egypt
8 Now these are the (CP)names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn. 9 And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 10 And the (CQ)sons of Simeon: [bj]Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, [bk]Jachin, [bl]Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. 11 And the sons of Levi: [bm]Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 And the sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). And the (CR)sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 And the sons of Issachar: Tola, [bn]Puvvah, [bo]Iob, and Shimron. 14 And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah; [bp]all his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three. 16 And the (CS)sons of Gad: [bq]Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, [br]Ezbon, Eri, [bs]Arodi, and Areli. 17 And the (CT)sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. And the (CU)sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel. 18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah; and she bore to Jacob these sixteen persons. 19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 20 (CV)Now to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him. 21 And the (CW)sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, [bt]Ehi, Rosh, [bu]Muppim, [bv]Huppim, and Ard. 22 These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; there were fourteen persons in all. 23 And the sons of Dan: [bw]Hushim. 24 And the sons of Naphtali: [bx]Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and [by]Shillem. 25 These are the (CX)sons of Bilhah, whom (CY)Laban gave to his daughter Rachel, and she bore these to Jacob; there were seven persons in all. 26 (CZ)All the people belonging to Jacob, who came to Egypt, [bz]his direct descendants, not including the wives of Jacob’s sons, were sixty-six persons in all, 27 and the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were [ca]two; (DA)all the people of the house of Jacob, who came to Egypt, were seventy.
28 Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph, to [cb]guide him to (DB)Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. 29 And Joseph [cc]prepared his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; as soon as he appeared to him, Joseph threw himself on his neck and (DC)wept on his neck a long time. 30 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.” 31 But Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “(DD)I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me; 32 and the men are shepherds, for they have been [cd]keepers of livestock; and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ 33 When Pharaoh calls for you and says, ‘(DE)What is your occupation?’ 34 you shall say, ‘Your servants have been [ce](DF)keepers of livestock since our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of (DG)Goshen; for every shepherd is an (DH)abomination to the Egyptians.”
Jacob’s Family Settles in Goshen
47 Then (DI)Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers and their flocks and their herds and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of (DJ)Goshen.” 2 And he took five men from among his brothers and (DK)presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “(DL)What is your occupation?” So they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are (DM)shepherds, both we and our fathers.” 4 They also said to Pharaoh, “(DN)We have come to reside in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for (DO)the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now, therefore, please let your servants (DP)live in the land of Goshen.” 5 Then Pharaoh said to [cf]Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is [cg]at your disposal; settle your father and your brothers in (DQ)the best of the land, let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know any (DR)capable men among them, then [ch]put them in charge of my livestock.”
7 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and [ci]presented him to Pharaoh; and Jacob (DS)blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many [cj]years have you lived?” 9 So Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The [ck](DT)years of my living abroad are [cl]130; few and [cm]unpleasant have been the [cn]years of my life, nor have they [co]attained (DU)the [cp]years [cq]that my fathers lived during the days of their living abroad.” 10 So Jacob (DV)blessed Pharaoh, and went out from [cr]his presence. 11 Now Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in (DW)the best of the land, in the land of (DX)Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered. 12 Joseph also (DY)provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with [cs]food, according to the [ct]number of their little ones.
13 Now there was no [cu]food in all the land, because the famine was very severe, so that (DZ)the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14 And (EA)Joseph collected all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan in payment for the grain which they bought, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15 When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph saying, “Give us [cv]food, for (EB)why should we die in your presence? For our money is [cw]gone.” 16 Then Joseph said, “Give up your livestock, and I will give you food for your livestock, since your money is [cx]gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them [cy]food in exchange for the horses and the [cz]flocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he [da]fed them with [db]food in exchange for all their livestock [dc]that year. 18 But when that year ended, they came to him the [dd]next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord the fact that our money is all spent, and the [de]livestock are my lord’s. There is nothing left [df]for my lord except our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for [dg]food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. So give us seed, so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”
Result of the Famine
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for [dh]every Egyptian sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh’s. 21 As for the people, he relocated them to the cities from one end of Egypt’s border to the other. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy, because the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh, and they [di]lived off the allotment which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they did not sell their land. 23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, today I have purchased you and your land for Pharaoh; now, here is seed for you, and you may sow the land. 24 [dj]At the harvest you shall give a (EC)fifth to Pharaoh, and [dk]four-fifths shall be your own for seed of the field and for your food, and for those of your households and as food for your little ones.” 25 So they said, “You have saved our lives! Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” 26 Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, valid to this day, that Pharaoh was to have the fifth; (ED)only the land of the priests [dl]did not become Pharaoh’s.
27 Now Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in [dm]Goshen, and they (EE)acquired property in it and (EF)were fruitful and became very numerous. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for (EG)seventeen years; so the [dn]length of Jacob’s life was 147 years.
29 When [do](EH)the time for Israel to die drew near, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Please, if I have found favor in your sight, (EI)place your hand under my thigh now and (EJ)deal with me in kindness and [dp]faithfulness: please do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but when I (EK)[dq]lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in (EL)their burial place.” And he said, “I will do as you have said.” 31 And he said, “(EM)Swear to me.” So he swore to him. Then (EN)Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.
Israel’s Last Days
48 Now it came about after these things that [dr]Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is sick.” So he took his two sons (EO)Manasseh and Ephraim with him. 2 When [ds]it was told to Jacob, “Behold, your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel [dt]collected his strength and sat [du]up in the bed. 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “[dv](EP)God Almighty appeared to me at (EQ)Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and He said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and numerous, and I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your [dw]descendants after you as (ER)an everlasting possession.’ 5 Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; (ES)Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as (ET)Reuben and Simeon are. 6 But your children that you have fathered after them shall be yours; they shall be called by the [dx]names of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 Now as for me, when I came from (EU)Paddan, (EV)Rachel died, [dy]to my sorrow, in the land of Canaan on the journey, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath. I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”
8 When Israel (EW)saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 And Joseph said to his father, “(EX)They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” So he said, “Bring them to me, please, so that (EY)I may bless them.” 10 Now (EZ)the eyes of Israel were so [dz]dim from age that he could not see. And [ea]Joseph brought them close to him, and he (FA)kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I never [eb]expected to see your face, and behold, God has let me see your [ec]children as well!” 12 Then Joseph [ed]took them from his knees, and (FB)bowed with his face to the ground. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right, and brought them close to him. 14 But Israel reached out his right hand and placed it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, crossing his hands, although (FC)Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said,
“(FD)The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
(FE)The God who has been my shepherd [ee]all my life to this day,
16 (FF)The angel who has redeemed me from all evil,
(FG)Bless the boys;
And may my name [ef]live on in them,
And the [eg]names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
And (FH)may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father (FI)placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him; and he grasped his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and (FJ)his [eh]descendants shall become [ei]a multitude of nations.” 20 So (FK)he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you Israel will pronounce blessing, saying,
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!’”
And so he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but (FL)God will be with you, and (FM)bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 And I give you one [ej]portion more than your brothers, (FN)which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”
Jacob’s Prophecy concerning His Sons
49 Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Assemble yourselves, so that I may tell you what will happen to you (FO)in the [ek]days to come.
2 Gather together and listen, sons of Jacob;
Yes, (FP)listen to Israel your father.
3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,
My might and (FQ)the beginning of my strength,
Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
4 [el]Uncontrollable as water, you shall not have preeminence,
(FR)Because you went up to your father’s bed;
Then you defiled it—he went up to my couch.
5 “(FS)Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Their [em]swords are implements of violence.
6 (FT)May my soul not enter into their council;
May my glory not be united with their assembly;
For in their anger they killed [en]men,
And in their self-will they lamed [eo]oxen.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;
And their wrath, for it is cruel.
(FU)I will scatter them in Jacob,
And disperse them among Israel.
8 “As for you, Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
(FV)Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
9 Judah is a (FW)lion’s cub;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
(FX)He [ep]crouches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a [eq]lion, who [er]dares to stir him up?
10 (FY)The scepter will not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
[es]Until Shiloh comes,
And (FZ)to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
11 (GA)He ties his foal to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine;
(GB)He washes his garments in wine,
And his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are [et]dull from wine,
And his teeth [eu]white from milk.
13 “(GC)Zebulun will reside at the seashore;
And he shall be [ev]a harbor for ships,
And his flank shall be toward Sidon.
14 “Issachar is a [ew]strong donkey,
(GD)Lying down between the sheepfolds.
15 When he saw that a resting place was good
And that the land was pleasant,
He bowed his shoulder to carry burdens,
And became a slave at forced labor.
16 “(GE)Dan shall (GF)judge his people,
As one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way,
A horned viper in the path,
That bites the horse’s heels,
So that its rider falls backward.
18 (GG)For Your salvation I wait, Lord.
21 “(GK)Naphtali is a doe let loose;
He utters beautiful words.
22 “(GL)Joseph is a fruitful [fb]branch,
A fruitful [fc]branch by a spring;
Its [fd]branches hang over a wall.
23 The archers provoked him,
And shot at him and were hostile toward him;
24 But his (GM)bow remained [fe]firm,
And [ff](GN)his arms were agile,
From the hands of the (GO)Mighty One of Jacob
(From there is (GP)the Shepherd, (GQ)the Stone of Israel),
25 From (GR)the God of your father who helps you,
And [fg](GS)by the [fh]Almighty who blesses you
With (GT)blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father
Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors
Up to the [fi]furthest boundary of (GU)the everlasting hills;
May they be on the head of Joseph,
And on the top of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.
27 “Benjamin is a [fj]ravenous wolf;
In the morning he devours the prey,
And in the evening he divides the spoils.”
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them [fk]when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one [fl]with the blessing appropriate to him.
Jacob Dies
29 Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am about to be (GV)gathered to my people; (GW)bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in (GX)the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the (GY)cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is opposite Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a [fm]burial site. 31 There they buried (GZ)Abraham and his wife (HA)Sarah, there they buried (HB)Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah— 32 the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth.” 33 When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and (HC)breathed his last, and was (HD)gathered to his people.
Footnotes
- Genesis 43:3 Lit us, saying
- Genesis 43:6 Lit to tell
- Genesis 43:7 Lit told him according to these words
- Genesis 43:9 Lit my hand
- Genesis 43:9 Lit I will be culpable before you all the days
- Genesis 43:11 Or vessels
- Genesis 43:11 Or resinous bark
- Genesis 43:14 Heb El Shaddai
- Genesis 43:17 Lit the man brought
- Genesis 43:18 Lit roll himself upon us
- Genesis 43:18 Lit fall upon
- Genesis 43:21 Lit its weight
- Genesis 43:23 Lit your money had come to me
- Genesis 43:25 Lit until
- Genesis 43:25 Lit bread
- Genesis 43:28 I.e., great respect and honor to a superior
- Genesis 43:30 Lit his compassion grew warm
- Genesis 43:31 Lit Set on bread
- Genesis 43:32 Lit them
- Genesis 43:33 Lit sat
- Genesis 43:34 Lit his face
- Genesis 44:2 Or according to the word
- Genesis 44:3 Lit The morning was light
- Genesis 44:6 I.e., the steward
- Genesis 44:16 Lit hand
- Genesis 44:17 Lit hand
- Genesis 44:18 Lit let not your anger burn against
- Genesis 44:22 Lit he would
- Genesis 44:29 Lit my face
- Genesis 44:29 Lit evil
- Genesis 44:30 Lit his soul is bound with his soul
- Genesis 44:32 Lit I will be culpable for all the days before my father
- Genesis 44:34 Lit find
- Genesis 45:1 Lit stood
- Genesis 45:2 Lit gave forth his voice in weeping
- Genesis 45:4 Lit near
- Genesis 45:4 Lit near
- Genesis 45:5 Lit in your eyes
- Genesis 45:5 Lit for preservation of life
- Genesis 45:7 As in MT; another reading (cf. LXX) keep alive for you a great remnant
- Genesis 45:10 Lit children’s children
- Genesis 45:16 Lit voice
- Genesis 45:16 Lit saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come”
- Genesis 45:16 Lit was good in the eyes of
- Genesis 45:17 Lit come, go
- Genesis 45:18 Lit good
- Genesis 45:19 Lit take for yourselves
- Genesis 45:20 Lit let your eye look with regret upon your vessels
- Genesis 45:20 Lit good
- Genesis 45:21 Lit mouth
- Genesis 45:22 Lit all of them he gave each man
- Genesis 45:23 Lit like this
- Genesis 45:23 Lit good
- Genesis 45:23 Lit for
- Genesis 45:24 Lit they departed; and he said
- Genesis 45:24 Lit be agitated
- Genesis 45:26 Lit his heart grew numb
- Genesis 46:2 Lit in the visions
- Genesis 46:4 Lit put his hand on
- Genesis 46:6 Lit seed
- Genesis 46:7 Lit seed
- Genesis 46:10 In Num 26:12 and 1 Chr 4:24, Nemuel
- Genesis 46:10 In 1 Chr 4:24, Jarib
- Genesis 46:10 In Num 26:13 and 1 Chr 4:24, Zerah
- Genesis 46:11 In 1 Chr 6:16, Gershom
- Genesis 46:13 In Num 26:23, Puvah; in 1 Chr 7:1, Puah
- Genesis 46:13 In Num 26:24 and 1 Chr 7:1, Jashub
- Genesis 46:15 Lit all the souls of
- Genesis 46:16 In Num 26:15, Zephon
- Genesis 46:16 In Num 26:16, Ozni
- Genesis 46:16 In Num 26:17, Arod
- Genesis 46:21 In Num 26:38, Ahiram
- Genesis 46:21 In Num 26:39, Shephupham; in 1 Chr 7:12, Shuppim
- Genesis 46:21 In Num 26:39, Hupham
- Genesis 46:23 In Num 26:42, Shuham
- Genesis 46:24 In 1 Chr 7:13, Jahziel
- Genesis 46:24 In 1 Chr 7:13, Shallum
- Genesis 46:26 Lit who came out of his loins
- Genesis 46:27 Lit two souls
- Genesis 46:28 Lit instruct before him
- Genesis 46:29 Lit harnessed
- Genesis 46:32 Lit men
- Genesis 46:34 Lit men
- Genesis 47:5 Lit Joseph, saying
- Genesis 47:6 Lit before you
- Genesis 47:6 Lit appoint them rulers
- Genesis 47:7 Lit set him before
- Genesis 47:8 Lit are the days of the years of your life
- Genesis 47:9 Lit days of the years
- Genesis 47:9 Lit 130 years
- Genesis 47:9 Lit evil
- Genesis 47:9 Lit days of the years
- Genesis 47:9 Lit reached
- Genesis 47:9 Lit days of the years
- Genesis 47:9 Lit of the life of my fathers
- Genesis 47:10 Lit Pharaoh’s
- Genesis 47:12 Or bread
- Genesis 47:12 Lit mouth
- Genesis 47:13 Or bread
- Genesis 47:15 Or bread
- Genesis 47:15 Lit at an end
- Genesis 47:16 Lit at an end
- Genesis 47:17 Or bread
- Genesis 47:17 Lit livestock of the flocks and livestock of the herds
- Genesis 47:17 Lit led them as a shepherd
- Genesis 47:17 Or bread
- Genesis 47:17 Lit in that year
- Genesis 47:18 Lit second
- Genesis 47:18 Lit livestock of the cattle
- Genesis 47:18 Lit in the presence of
- Genesis 47:19 Or bread
- Genesis 47:20 Lit Egypt, every man
- Genesis 47:22 Lit ate their allotment
- Genesis 47:24 Lit It shall come about...that you shall
- Genesis 47:24 Lit four parts
- Genesis 47:26 Lit alone did
- Genesis 47:27 Lit the land of Goshen
- Genesis 47:28 Lit days of Jacob, the years of his life
- Genesis 47:29 Lit the days of Israel
- Genesis 47:29 Lit truth
- Genesis 47:30 I.e., die
- Genesis 48:1 Lit one said to Joseph
- Genesis 48:2 Lit one told Jacob and said
- Genesis 48:2 Lit strengthened himself
- Genesis 48:2 Lit upon the bed
- Genesis 48:3 Heb El Shaddai
- Genesis 48:4 Lit seed
- Genesis 48:6 Lit name
- Genesis 48:7 Lit upon me
- Genesis 48:10 Lit dull
- Genesis 48:10 Lit he
- Genesis 48:11 Lit assumed
- Genesis 48:11 Lit seed
- Genesis 48:12 Lit made them come out
- Genesis 48:15 Lit from the continuance of me
- Genesis 48:16 Lit be called
- Genesis 48:16 Lit name
- Genesis 48:19 Lit seed
- Genesis 48:19 Lit the fullness
- Genesis 48:22 Or ridge; lit shoulder; Heb Shechem
- Genesis 49:1 Lit end of the days
- Genesis 49:4 Or Gushing over
- Genesis 49:5 Or plans; meaning uncertain
- Genesis 49:6 Lit a man
- Genesis 49:6 Lit an ox
- Genesis 49:9 Lit bows down
- Genesis 49:9 Lit lioness
- Genesis 49:9 Lit shall
- Genesis 49:10 Or Until he comes to Shiloh; or Until he comes to whom it belongs
- Genesis 49:12 Or darker than
- Genesis 49:12 Or whiter than
- Genesis 49:13 Lit a shore of ships
- Genesis 49:14 Lit donkey of bone
- Genesis 49:19 Lit heel
- Genesis 49:20 Lit From
- Genesis 49:20 Or bread
- Genesis 49:20 Lit fat
- Genesis 49:22 Lit son
- Genesis 49:22 Lit son
- Genesis 49:22 Lit daughters
- Genesis 49:24 I.e., in an unyielding position
- Genesis 49:24 Lit the arms of his hands
- Genesis 49:25 Or with
- Genesis 49:25 Heb Shaddai
- Genesis 49:26 Lit limit; or desire
- Genesis 49:27 Lit a wolf that tears
- Genesis 49:28 Lit and
- Genesis 49:28 Lit according to his blessing
- Genesis 49:30 Lit possession of a burial place
Genesis 43-49
New International Version
Genesis 43-49
New International Version
The Second Journey to Egypt
43 Now the famine was still severe in the land.(A) 2 So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt,(B) their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”(C)
3 But Judah(D) said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’(E) 4 If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you.(F) 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.(G)’”
6 Israel(H) asked, “Why did you bring this trouble(I) on me by telling the man you had another brother?”
7 They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’(J) he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’(K) We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”(L)
8 Then Judah(M) said to Israel(N) his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die.(O) 9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him.(P) If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame(Q) before you all my life.(R) 10 As it is, if we had not delayed,(S) we could have gone and returned twice.”
11 Then their father Israel(T) said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products(U) of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift(V)—a little balm(W) and a little honey, some spices(X) and myrrh,(Y) some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount(Z) of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks.(AA) Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once.(AB) 14 And may God Almighty[a](AC) grant you mercy(AD) before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you.(AE) As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”(AF)
15 So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver,(AG) and Benjamin also. They hurried(AH) down to Egypt and presented themselves(AI) to Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin(AJ) with them, he said to the steward of his house,(AK) “Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal;(AL) they are to eat with me at noon.”
17 The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house.(AM) 18 Now the men were frightened(AN) when they were taken to his house.(AO) They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks(AP) the first time. He wants to attack us(AQ) and overpower us and seize us as slaves(AR) and take our donkeys.(AS)”
19 So they went up to Joseph’s steward(AT) and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 20 “We beg your pardon, our lord,” they said, “we came down here the first time to buy food.(AU) 21 But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver—the exact weight—in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us.(AV) 22 We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.”
23 “It’s all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father,(AW) has given you treasure in your sacks;(AX) I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.(AY)
24 The steward took the men into Joseph’s house,(AZ) gave them water to wash their feet(BA) and provided fodder for their donkeys. 25 They prepared their gifts(BB) for Joseph’s arrival at noon,(BC) because they had heard that they were to eat there.
26 When Joseph came home,(BD) they presented to him the gifts(BE) they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground.(BF) 27 He asked them how they were, and then he said, “How is your aged father(BG) you told me about? Is he still living?”(BH)
28 They replied, “Your servant our father(BI) is still alive and well.” And they bowed down,(BJ) prostrating themselves before him.(BK)
29 As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son,(BL) he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?”(BM) And he said, “God be gracious to you,(BN) my son.” 30 Deeply moved(BO) at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept(BP) there.
31 After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself,(BQ) said, “Serve the food.”(BR)
32 They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews,(BS) for that is detestable to Egyptians.(BT) 33 The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn(BU) to the youngest;(BV) and they looked at each other in astonishment. 34 When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s.(BW) So they feasted(BX) and drank freely with him.
A Silver Cup in a Sack
44 Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house:(BY) “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack.(BZ) 2 Then put my cup,(CA) the silver one,(CB) in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.
3 As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.(CC) 4 They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward,(CD) “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?(CE) 5 Isn’t this the cup(CF) my master drinks from and also uses for divination?(CG) This is a wicked thing you have done.’”
6 When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. 7 But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants(CH) to do anything like that!(CI) 8 We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan(CJ) the silver(CK) we found inside the mouths of our sacks.(CL) So why would we steal(CM) silver or gold from your master’s house? 9 If any of your servants(CN) is found to have it, he will die;(CO) and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.(CP)”
10 “Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it(CQ) will become my slave;(CR) the rest of you will be free from blame.”(CS)
11 Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12 Then the steward(CT) proceeded to search,(CU) beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest.(CV) And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.(CW) 13 At this, they tore their clothes.(CX) Then they all loaded their donkeys(CY) and returned to the city.
14 Joseph was still in the house(CZ) when Judah(DA) and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him.(DB) 15 Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done?(DC) Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?(DD)”
16 “What can we say to my lord?(DE)” Judah(DF) replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence?(DG) God has uncovered your servants’(DH) guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves(DI)—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.(DJ)”
17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing!(DK) Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave.(DL) The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.”(DM)
18 Then Judah(DN) went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord,(DO) let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry(DP) with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants,(DQ) ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’(DR) 20 And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age.(DS) His brother is dead,(DT) and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’(DU)
21 “Then you said to your servants,(DV) ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’(DW) 22 And we said to my lord,(DX) ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’(DY) 23 But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’(DZ) 24 When we went back to your servant my father,(EA) we told him what my lord(EB) had said.(EC)
25 “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’(ED) 26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’(EE)
27 “Your servant my father(EF) said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.(EG) 28 One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.”(EH) And I have not seen him since.(EI) 29 If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave(EJ) in misery.’(EK)
30 “So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father,(EL) and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life,(EM) 31 sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die.(EN) Your servants(EO) will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave(EP) in sorrow. 32 Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’(EQ)
33 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave(ER) in place of the boy,(ES) and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery(ET) that would come on my father.”(EU)
Joseph Makes Himself Known
45 Then Joseph could no longer control himself(EV) before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!”(EW) So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept(EX) so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.(EY)
3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?”(EZ) But his brothers were not able to answer him,(FA) because they were terrified at his presence.(FB)
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.”(FC) When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!(FD) 5 And now, do not be distressed(FE) and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here,(FF) because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.(FG) 6 For two years now there has been famine(FH) in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant(FI) on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.[b](FJ)
8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.(FK) He made me father(FL) to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.(FM) 9 Now hurry(FN) back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay.(FO) 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen(FP) and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have.(FQ) 11 I will provide for you there,(FR) because five years of famine(FS) are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’(FT)
12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin,(FU) that it is really I who am speaking to you.(FV) 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt(FW) and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.(FX)”
14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin(FY) embraced him,(FZ) weeping. 15 And he kissed(GA) all his brothers and wept over them.(GB) Afterward his brothers talked with him.(GC)
16 When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come,(GD) Pharaoh and all his officials(GE) were pleased.(GF) 17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals(GG) and return to the land of Canaan,(GH) 18 and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt(GI) and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’(GJ)
19 “You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts(GK) from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. 20 Never mind about your belongings,(GL) because the best of all Egypt(GM) will be yours.’”
21 So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts,(GN) as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey.(GO) 22 To each of them he gave new clothing,(GP) but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels[c] of silver and five sets of clothes.(GQ) 23 And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys(GR) loaded with the best things(GS) of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey.(GT) 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”(GU)
25 So they went up out of Egypt(GV) and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.(GW) 26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.”(GX) Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them.(GY) 27 But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts(GZ) Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, “I’m convinced!(HA) My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”(HB)
Jacob Goes to Egypt
46 So Israel(HC) set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba,(HD) he offered sacrifices(HE) to the God of his father Isaac.(HF)
2 And God spoke to Israel(HG) in a vision at night(HH) and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”
“Here I am,”(HI) he replied.
3 “I am God, the God of your father,”(HJ) he said. “Do not be afraid(HK) to go down to Egypt,(HL) for I will make you into a great nation(HM) there.(HN) 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again.(HO) And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.(HP)”
5 Then Jacob left Beersheba,(HQ) and Israel’s(HR) sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts(HS) that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6 So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt,(HT) taking with them their livestock and the possessions(HU) they had acquired(HV) in Canaan. 7 Jacob brought with him to Egypt(HW) his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.(HX)
8 These are the names of the sons of Israel(HY) (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:
Reuben the firstborn(HZ) of Jacob.
9 The sons of Reuben:(IA)
Hanok, Pallu,(IB) Hezron and Karmi.(IC)
10 The sons of Simeon:(ID)
Jemuel,(IE) Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar(IF) and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
11 The sons of Levi:(IG)
Gershon,(IH) Kohath(II) and Merari.(IJ)
12 The sons of Judah:(IK)
Er,(IL) Onan,(IM) Shelah, Perez(IN) and Zerah(IO) (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).(IP)
The sons of Perez:(IQ)
Hezron and Hamul.(IR)
13 The sons of Issachar:(IS)
Tola, Puah,[d](IT) Jashub[e](IU) and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zebulun:(IV)
Sered, Elon and Jahleel.
15 These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram,[f](IW) besides his daughter Dinah.(IX) These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.
16 The sons of Gad:(IY)
Zephon,[g](IZ) Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher:(JA)
Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.
Their sister was Serah.
The sons of Beriah:
Heber and Malkiel.
18 These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah,(JB) whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah(JC)—sixteen in all.
19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:(JD)
Joseph and Benjamin.(JE) 20 In Egypt, Manasseh(JF) and Ephraim(JG) were born to Joseph(JH) by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.[h](JI)
21 The sons of Benjamin:(JJ)
Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.(JK)
22 These were the sons of Rachel(JL) who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.
25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah,(JP) whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel(JQ)—seven in all.
26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons.(JR) 27 With the two sons[i] who had been born to Joseph in Egypt,(JS) the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy[j] in all.(JT)
28 Now Jacob sent Judah(JU) ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen.(JV) When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29 Joseph had his chariot(JW) made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel.(JX) As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father[k] and wept(JY) for a long time.(JZ)
30 Israel(KA) said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”(KB)
31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan,(KC) have come to me.(KD) 32 The men are shepherds;(KE) they tend livestock,(KF) and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’(KG) 33 When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’(KH) 34 you should answer, ‘Your servants(KI) have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’(KJ) Then you will be allowed to settle(KK) in the region of Goshen,(KL) for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.(KM)”
47 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan(KN) and are now in Goshen.”(KO) 2 He chose five of his brothers and presented them(KP) before Pharaoh.
3 Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?”(KQ)
“Your servants(KR) are shepherds,(KS)” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” 4 They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a while,(KT) because the famine is severe in Canaan(KU) and your servants’ flocks have no pasture.(KV) So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.”(KW)
5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, 6 and the land of Egypt is before you; settle(KX) your father and your brothers in the best part of the land.(KY) Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability,(KZ) put them in charge of my own livestock.(LA)”
7 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him(LB) before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed[l] Pharaoh,(LC) 8 Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”
9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty.(LD) My years have been few and difficult,(LE) and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.(LF)” 10 Then Jacob blessed[m] Pharaoh(LG) and went out from his presence.
11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land,(LH) the district of Rameses,(LI) as Pharaoh directed. 12 Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.(LJ)
Joseph and the Famine
13 There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine.(LK) 14 Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying,(LL) and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace.(LM) 15 When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone,(LN) all Egypt came to Joseph(LO) and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes?(LP) Our money is all gone.”
16 “Then bring your livestock,(LQ)” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.(LR)” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses,(LS) their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys.(LT) And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.
18 When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone(LU) and our livestock belongs to you,(LV) there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we perish before your eyes(LW)—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food,(LX) and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh.(LY) Give us seed so that we may live and not die,(LZ) and that the land may not become desolate.”
20 So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe(MA) for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, 21 and Joseph reduced the people to servitude,[n](MB) from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 However, he did not buy the land of the priests,(MC) because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment(MD) Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
23 Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed(ME) for you so you can plant the ground.(MF) 24 But when the crop comes in, give a fifth(MG) of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”
25 “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord;(MH) we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”(MI)
26 So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth(MJ) of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s.(MK)
27 Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen.(ML) They acquired property there(MM) and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.(MN)
28 Jacob lived in Egypt(MO) seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven.(MP) 29 When the time drew near for Israel(MQ) to die,(MR) he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes,(MS) put your hand under my thigh(MT) and promise that you will show me kindness(MU) and faithfulness.(MV) Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but when I rest with my fathers,(MW) carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.”(MX)
“I will do as you say,” he said.
31 “Swear to me,”(MY) he said. Then Joseph swore to him,(MZ) and Israel(NA) worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.[o](NB)
Manasseh and Ephraim
48 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim(NC) along with him. 2 When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel(ND) rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.
3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty[p](NE) appeared to me at Luz(NF) in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me(NG) 4 and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers.(NH) I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land(NI) as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’(NJ)
5 “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt(NK) before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine,(NL) just as Reuben(NM) and Simeon(NN) are mine. 6 Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. 7 As I was returning from Paddan,[q](NO) to my sorrow(NP) Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).(NQ)
8 When Israel(NR) saw the sons of Joseph,(NS) he asked, “Who are these?”
9 “They are the sons God has given me here,”(NT) Joseph said to his father.
Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless(NU) them.”
10 Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see.(NV) So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them(NW) and embraced them.(NX)
11 Israel(NY) said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again,(NZ) and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”(OA)
12 Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees(OB) and bowed down with his face to the ground.(OC) 13 And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand,(OD) and brought them close to him. 14 But Israel(OE) reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head,(OF) though he was the younger,(OG) and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.(OH)
15 Then he blessed(OI) Joseph and said,
“May the God before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,(OJ)
the God who has been my shepherd(OK)
all my life to this day,
16 the Angel(OL) who has delivered me from all harm(OM)
—may he bless(ON) these boys.(OO)
May they be called by my name
and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,(OP)
and may they increase greatly
on the earth.”(OQ)
17 When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand(OR) on Ephraim’s head(OS) he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”(OT)
19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great.(OU) Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he,(OV) and his descendants will become a group of nations.(OW)” 20 He blessed(OX) them that day(OY) and said,
“In your[r] name will Israel(OZ) pronounce this blessing:(PA)
‘May God make you like Ephraim(PB) and Manasseh.(PC)’”
So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you[s](PD) and take you[t] back to the land of your[u] fathers.(PE) 22 And to you I give one more ridge of land[v](PF) than to your brothers,(PG) the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword(PH) and my bow.”
Jacob Blesses His Sons(PI)
49 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.(PJ)
3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,(PM)
my might, the first sign of my strength,(PN)
excelling in honor,(PO) excelling in power.
4 Turbulent as the waters,(PP) you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father’s bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.(PQ)
5 “Simeon(PR) and Levi(PS) are brothers—
their swords[w] are weapons of violence.(PT)
6 Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,(PU)
for they have killed men in their anger(PV)
and hamstrung(PW) oxen as they pleased.
7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury,(PX) so cruel!(PY)
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.(PZ)
8 “Judah,[x](QA) your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck(QB) of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.(QC)
9 You are a lion’s(QD) cub,(QE) Judah;(QF)
you return from the prey,(QG) my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,(QH)
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[y]
until he to whom it belongs[z] shall come(QI)
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.(QJ)
11 He will tether his donkey(QK) to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;(QL)
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.(QM)
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.[aa](QN)
13 “Zebulun(QO) will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon.(QP)
14 “Issachar(QQ) is a rawboned[ab] donkey
lying down among the sheep pens.[ac](QR)
15 When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land,(QS)
he will bend his shoulder to the burden(QT)
and submit to forced labor.(QU)
16 “Dan[ad](QV) will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.(QW)
17 Dan(QX) will be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,(QY)
that bites the horse’s heels(QZ)
so that its rider tumbles backward.
22 “Joseph(RJ) is a fruitful vine,(RK)
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches(RL) climb over a wall.[ag]
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;(RM)
they shot at him with hostility.(RN)
24 But his bow remained steady,(RO)
his strong arms(RP) stayed[ah] limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,(RQ)
because of the Shepherd,(RR) the Rock of Israel,(RS)
25 because of your father’s God,(RT) who helps(RU) you,
because of the Almighty,[ai](RV) who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below,(RW)
blessings of the breast(RX) and womb.(RY)
26 Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than[aj] the bounty of the age-old hills.(RZ)
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,(SA)
on the brow of the prince among[ak] his brothers.(SB)
27 “Benjamin(SC) is a ravenous wolf;(SD)
in the morning he devours the prey,(SE)
in the evening he divides the plunder.”(SF)
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel,(SG) and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing(SH) appropriate to him.
The Death of Jacob
29 Then he gave them these instructions:(SI) “I am about to be gathered to my people.(SJ) Bury me with my fathers(SK) in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,(SL) 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah,(SM) near Mamre(SN) in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field(SO) as a burial place(SP) from Ephron the Hittite. 31 There Abraham(SQ) and his wife Sarah(SR) were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah(SS) were buried, and there I buried Leah.(ST) 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.[al](SU)”
33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.(SV)
Footnotes
- Genesis 43:14 Hebrew El-Shaddai
- Genesis 45:7 Or save you as a great band of survivors
- Genesis 45:22 That is, about 7 1/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms
- Genesis 46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Puvah
- Genesis 46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Num. 26:24 and 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Iob
- Genesis 46:15 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
- Genesis 46:16 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Num. 26:15); Masoretic Text Ziphion
- Genesis 46:20 That is, Heliopolis
- Genesis 46:27 Hebrew; Septuagint the nine children
- Genesis 46:27 Hebrew (see also Exodus 1:5 and note); Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14) seventy-five
- Genesis 46:29 Hebrew around him
- Genesis 47:7 Or greeted
- Genesis 47:10 Or said farewell to
- Genesis 47:21 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Vulgate); Masoretic Text and he moved the people into the cities
- Genesis 47:31 Or Israel bowed down at the head of his bed
- Genesis 48:3 Hebrew El-Shaddai
- Genesis 48:7 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
- Genesis 48:20 The Hebrew is singular.
- Genesis 48:21 The Hebrew is plural.
- Genesis 48:21 The Hebrew is plural.
- Genesis 48:21 The Hebrew is plural.
- Genesis 48:22 The Hebrew for ridge of land is identical with the place name Shechem.
- Genesis 49:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Genesis 49:8 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.
- Genesis 49:10 Or from his descendants
- Genesis 49:10 Or to whom tribute belongs; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Genesis 49:12 Or will be dull from wine, / his teeth white from milk
- Genesis 49:14 Or strong
- Genesis 49:14 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
- Genesis 49:16 Dan here means he provides justice.
- Genesis 49:19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for attack and also for band of raiders.
- Genesis 49:21 Or free; / he utters beautiful words
- Genesis 49:22 Or Joseph is a wild colt, / a wild colt near a spring, / a wild donkey on a terraced hill
- Genesis 49:24 Or archers will attack … will shoot … will remain … will stay
- Genesis 49:25 Hebrew Shaddai
- Genesis 49:26 Or of my progenitors, / as great as
- Genesis 49:26 Or of the one separated from
- Genesis 49:32 Or the descendants of Heth
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